


The Declaration

by MaxiBrux



Series: The Right One [2]
Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Gen, Is honesty the best policy?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-06
Updated: 2020-11-06
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:03:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27419233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaxiBrux/pseuds/MaxiBrux
Summary: Roan King wants to marry Clarke Griffin.  He knows it won't be easy to convince her.  He doesn't know if he has to sell himself or the institution of marriage, or both.  Roan knows he needs help so seeks the advice of Clarke's daughter, Madi.An adaptation of a Twilight FF I previously posted on another site.
Relationships: Clarke Griffin/Roan
Series: The Right One [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1995097
Kudos: 12





	The Declaration

**Author's Note:**

> This second part of The Right One series focuses more on Roan's POV of his relationship with Clarke and how he wants it to progress.
> 
> Not my characters, just borrowed.

Roan King was driving to the Herschey Grange hotel with a keen sense of anticipation that he was having difficulty in understanding. True, he was having dinner with a beautiful young model, which at the age of Fifty-two was no mean feat, but he didn’t think that could fully account for how much he was looking forward to this weekend in particular.

Roan drove from his home in Azgeda to the hotel every Friday afternoon. On the first Friday of the month he dined with his god-son Aden who had become such a dull stick that Roan had wondered if he had somehow aged forty years. On the third Friday he dined with his god-daughter Tiffany. She was a sweet girl and deserved better than to be saddled with a name that owed more to fashion than class. The second and fourth Fridays were reluctantly devoted to his widowed sister-in-law and her twin daughters. Roan had never met such a group of witless grasping harpies as Ontari, Bea and Ana. But today was one of those rare events, a fifth Friday and today he was dining with Madelena.

Roan remembered the first time he met Lena Finn.

He was attending some charity function or another when this beautiful young model set him in her sights. She was charming as she delicately flirted with him. He didn’t understand why she selected him when there were other, younger and more attractive potential partners for her choose from. She was young enough and beautiful enough for her to have her pick of the offerings, but she chose a middle-aged and comfortable, but not overtly wealthy, man easily old enough to be her father.

He didn’t realise it at first, since she did it so cleverly, but she said little about herself but ferreted out lots of information about him. The evening was ending when she invited him to join her for a nightcap.

“Thank you, but I think it would be better not to. I have enjoyed a very pleasant evening but I think we should leave it there. You know I could well be old enough to be your grandfather!”

It was then that Roan realised why he had been singled out.

“That would make my mother old enough to be your daughter” Lena was snide.

He looked at her carefully. Roan remembered her name and everything that he had been told about her. “Clarke didn’t tell me that you used a professional surname.”

“My biological father’s first name. I wanted to get to know you without you knowing who I was in case it affected how you acted” Lena shrugged.

“I see. And what would you have done if I had taken you up on your kind offer?” Roan was curious.

“I would have had a night cap with you then been very disappointed. As it is, I can rest easier about your relationship with mom” Lena was unapologetic.

Since that evening, Roan and Madelena had been in regular contact, meeting occasionally for drinks or lunch. But this meeting was arranged at Roan’s behest. He had a favour to ask.

Madi arrived at the hotel by taxi cab. She could drive but couldn’t afford to run her own car and no one was able to lend her one on this particular night. Perhaps it was just as well, she had a feeling that she was going to allow herself to get slightly sloshed.

At the reception desk Madi said that she was there to see Roan King and asked if he could be informed of her arrival. 

She turned away and heard one receptionist mutter to the other “She’s a new one. I wonder if she knows about the others.”

‘Others? What others? And does mom know about them?’ Madi thought to herself.

“Ms Griffin? Mr King will be down shortly. Please take a seat.”

Madi was tempted to ask where she was to take it but realised that would be childish and decided to wait until the right moment to question Roan about the others.

“Madi my dear. It’s very good to see you. Thank you for agreeing to meet me. I need your advice about something and I thought that the least I could do is feed you as I pick your brain.” 

Madi was tempted to look at the receptionists to see if they had heard Roan’s words but didn’t want to be rude to Roan, at least not yet.

“Roan, I was glad you called. There’s something I want to ask you as well so perhaps we should go Dutch?” Luckily for Madi’s bank balance Roan just laughed off her suggestion as he led her to the hotel dining room.

They ordered their starters and main course. Madi was surprised to note that Roan’s choices were as healthy as her own. He didn’t strike her as a fish and salad sort of person. She wasn’t actually, but since being a model required that she stay slender, and she wished to stay as a model, at least until she had finished her Masters, if not her Doctorate, Madi ate very carefully.

After they had eaten their starters Madi decided to get to the point. “Okay Roan, why did you want to meet me tonight?”

Roan took a careful sip of his wine and grimaced. He was hoping to work up to it but he should have known better. “I want your advice on how I can persuade your mother to marry me.”

“Marriage?” Madelena was shocked.

“That’s right, marriage. I want us to get married” Roan was determined.

“But, but, I err. I don’t know what to say” at least she didn’t rule it out.

“You appear to have rendered your companion speechless Uncle Roan.”

Madi turned slightly to the left and saw a handsome face marred by a cynical grimace.

“Aden, my dear boy. This is a surprise. Did I not receive a message from you to change our time?” Roan was jovial.

“No Uncle Roan. Something has just cropped up and I have to fly to New York and won’t be back in time for our dinner. I rang your office and was told you had already left for your usual trip here so I thought that I might be able to persuade you to dine with me tonight instead. I’m sorry for interrupting your tete a tete” but he didn’t sound at all sorry.

“Not to worry. Let me introduce you.” Madi couldn’t decide if Roan was ignoring the tone or hadn’t noticed it.

“No, thank you. Wait for the right response to your question and then you can introduce me to your fiancée. I’ll call you in the week” Aden offered his god-father.

There was a friendly grasp of arms between the two men but all Madi merited was a sneering nod of acknowledgment.

“Why did you not make it clear to him that it wasn’t me that you wanted to marry?” Madi asked.

“Because I thought he was rude to you and I want him to be a little embarrassed when he discovers that it’s your mother” Roan was a little grim.

Madi grimaced a little because she didn’t think this Aden douche was going to feel in the least bit embarrassed, just angry. She picked at her main course, unknowingly showing all her ambivalence at Roan’s declaration on her face.

“Why do you want to marry mom? Are you in love with her?” Madi decided to just ask.

This time it was Roan’s turn to grimace.

“In love, not sure. Do I love her? Yes. But it’s a love based on liking, affection and respect. I know how she supported you all when your step mother left. That only increases my respect for her. Clarke is a woman who will do anything for those she loves, especially her children. How can anyone not respect that?” Roan’s tone made his sincerity clear.

Madi knew that there were an awful lot of people who would not respect her mom for the choices she made and, she thought, Aden would be one of them.

“I overheard the receptionists talking. They were talking about you. They said I was a new one and wondered if I knew about the others. What others, Roan?” Madi asked.

For a brief moment Madi saw the Roan who had become one of the world’s top Neurosurgeons. She was sorry to have landed the reception staff in trouble, but they needed to learn discretion and she wanted the answer.

“I come here every Friday. I spend the first Friday of the month with my god-son Aden, who you have just met. The third Friday I dine with my god-daughter Tiffany. The second and fourth with my late step-brother’s widow and two daughters, my neices. I spend every Saturday night with Clarke.”

Madi did a quick calculation and realised that today was a fifth Friday. 

“I’m going to retire soon and I don’t want to spend my time in an empty home waiting for Friday. I want a reason for getting up on Monday through Thursday” Roan finished explaining.

“Then you are going to have to persuade mom that you will be gaining through your marriage. She will not agree to marry you while she thinks that she will be the one to benefit most. And as long as she can earn enough to support Jake reasonably well, she will not see what you can provide for them financially as necessarily a good point” Madi offered.

“Basically what you’re saying is that I have to convince her that I need her” Roan smirked.

“Yes, as well as the bit about affection, liking and respect” Madi smirked right back.

“What about Jake, Madi? How will he feel if I was to become his step-father?” an area of vulnerability.

Madi paused: “I don’t know. He never really had a dad, or a second parent. He might be a bit wary because of your age - I think he would expect a dad to be in his forties at the most. But he adores mom so if he saw that you made her happy he would come round if he were at all concerned. Also, he is young enough to get a kick out of the things that you could provide like the current playstation or whatever.”

Madi had given Roan plenty to think about. He had to decide if he wanted to propose that weekend or wait a little longer, spend a few Saturdays sowing some seeds.

……….

The next day Roan went to the shopping mall. He usually did some case studies on Saturdays but it was time he started to slow down and let others worry about it in his stead.

He wandered around looking in shop windows hoping to spot something that would strike a spark of inspiration. It was looking in the shop window for the jewellery chain ‘Loot’ that gave Roan an idea. He saw a picture of Madi modelling an attractive necklace. It was not an original and not very valuable, but he thought that it was probably more than Clarke would feel comfortable in spending on herself but he was sure that she would know that it was one that Madi had modelled. He bought the necklace.

The smell of a florist shop caught Roan’s attention. Clarke’s favourite flower was freesia. He bought all that the florist had in stock. 

Back at the hotel Roan had to ask if he could borrow some vases for his flowers. He was not particularly adept at flower arranging but he did the best that he could, placing the vases at strategic points throughout the suite. It didn’t take long for the scent to give the whole suite a fresh, outdoors feeling.

……….

Clarke wasn’t due to arrive until six pm but, as usual, she knocked on the door to Roan’s suite just on half past five.

“Roan! It smells wonderful in here. The flowers are beautiful, what’s the occasion?” Clarke asked as she walked through the door.

“There is something I need to discuss with you, and, to be honest, the flowers are my feeble attempt to soften you up. I have to make some changes at work and I want your opinion” Roan explained part of the reason for his romancing.

“My opinion? Why?” Clarke was amazed that Roan would think that she would have any right to an opinion about his work.

“I think you will be honest with me without decimating my pride, and I know that you often see things that others don’t and I trust your judgement a lot more than I trust most others. Why don’t you get ready and we can talk about it over dinner?” Roan offered.

Clarke went through to the bathroom to quickly shower before she donned the cocktail dress she had brought with her for dinner.

When Clarke first began her liaison with Roan she was very self-conscious about changing in front of him; but now, more than five years since the first time, she felt no nerves about undressing and being naked in his presence – but for some strange reason she still blushed when she saw Roan naked for the first time each week!

Roan realised that the neckline of Clarke’s dress was not really right for the necklace that he had bought so decided to save it for another time: the flowers were probably enough for the current stage of his campaign.

“I am going to have to retire soon” Roan said to start the conversation.

“What? Why? You’re too young!” and then, with a look of fear on her face: “You’re not ill are you?” Clarke asked.

Roan took Clarke’s hand, trying to offer some comfort. “Clarke, I’m 52. I can’t do the long complicated surgeries any more without getting cramps in my hands. I can’t risk killing a patient because I am too old.”

“But that doesn’t mean you have to retire. Of course it’s a different matter if you want to retire, but if you don’t, why can’t you be a Neurologist, the one who diagnoses and refers to the surgeons, or even teach, or both?”

“Well, the former is not something I had considered – you’ve earned all your flowers already! As for teaching, I know that is something you are happy to do, but while I would be happy to teach about the brain and nerve systems, I wouldn’t want to be a more general medical, or surgical teacher and I wouldn’t get much work being so specialised. But you’re right, I could consider being a part time Neurologist. I’ll speak to the Chief when I get back to work. Thank you. Now, can I ask you something?” roan was sounding more upbeat.

Clarke looked a little nervous “Sure, anything”.

“When you graduate, what are you planning on doing?”

Clarke slipped her hand out from under Roan’s gentle hold and started to fidget as she looked everywhere but at Roan.

“Clarke, please be honest with me” Roan begged, wondering if this was going to be the beginning of the end rather than the start of their future together.

“Well, I want to get a job as an art teacher so that I can fully support my family myself” Clarke mumbled.

Taking a deep breath Roan asked “Does that mean that you won’t want to see me again?”

“What? No!” Clarke was shocked that Roan had come to that conclusion. “It’s just that I don’t want you to give me money any more. I, I, I like you, Roan. I want to see you because I like you.”

If Clarke had looked at Roan’s face she would have seen a smile so wonderful that it took ten years off his face.

“Clarke, I always want to see you because I like you. I also respect and admire you. I want to be able to see you sometimes during the week, speak to you at nights, just be with you and, and I know you might not like this, I want to meet your family and friends and for you to meet mine” Roan was earnest.

It was not the proposal of marriage that Roan wanted to make, but he thought his declaration was a good step in the right direction.

……….

Instead of driving to the Herschey Grange hotel and seeing Aden on the Friday since he was away, Roan drove to Clarke’s house and had dinner with her and her son.

Roan didn’t usually interact with young boys, but he remembered what Aden was like at Jake’s age so treated him the same as he had Aden. It seemed to work and Jake accepted Roan’s relationship with his mother.

Clarke had said that she didn’t want to risk Jake overhearing any of their conversations so instead of talking on the ‘phone they used e-mail and instant messaging. She also didn’t want to risk Jake walking in on them when Roan stayed over so she slept in Madi’s room while Roan had her bed. Roan didn’t mind, he could smell Clarke’s unique fragrance on the bed linens!

After an incredibly loud and boisterous breakfast, Roan, Clarke and Jake headed for the zoo. A fun day was had by all.

Instead of their usual Saturday evening of having a meal in the hotel restaurant and then retiring to the suite where they had sex, Roan decided to do something different. Clarke’s overnight bag held casual clothes for the next day, but she and Roan got changed at Clarke’s house before going dancing.

“I’ll have my mobile, as usual” Clarke told her sitter, a fellow college student, but one so much younger than Clarke. “We’ll just be staying in town so we won’t be far away. Are you sure this dress is not too young for me?”

“Clarke, your fella is a little older than you, but he’s still effing gorgeous so it won’t hurt for you to show your assets a little. You’ve got a great figure that a twenty year old would envy so showcase it a little and be proud to be on your man’s arm. Have fun, and we’ll see you in the morning – but not too early!”

“She’s right, you know” Roan said as he helped Clarke into his car. “You do have a gorgeous figure and I am very proud to have you on my arm.”

……….

The change in their relationship gave Roan great hope for their future. As far as everyone else was concerned he and Clarke were in a normal relationship. They both agreed that as soon as Clarke was in receipt of a steady income he would cease to pay the monthly stipend that he currently placed in her bank account.

Roan was also able to persuade Aden and Tiffany to dine with him on the same Friday so that once a month he was able to stay with Clarke and do something with her son. He also made a point of being with Clarke and Jake one evening in the week. Once Clarke was happy that the development in their relationship was permanent then the next step was to introduce her to his friends and relations. 

Clarke made a point of mentioning the fact that she had been seeing Roan for a while but didn’t want to say anything in case it fizzled out to her step-sister in one of her e-mails. A little while later Octavia wrote back to say that she had Googled him and was impressed that she was able to land someone so hot and that she didn’t blame Clarke for thinking that Roan might get bored with her and end things. Needless to say, Octavia was not one of Roan’s favourite people after that.

The next step was for Roan and Madi to confess that they had met on numerous occasions.

“Mom, I wanted to meet him without him knowing I was your daughter” Madi confessed. “And I have to admit, I like him and gave him my blessing for your relationship.”

“I have to confess that I discussed my desire to further our relationship with Madi” Roan told Clarke. “In fact I told her that I want to marry you” Roan held his breath, waiting for Clarke’s reaction to his declaration.

**Author's Note:**

> The next part of this series gives more details to both Clarke and Roan's backgrounds and how they got to where they are in their relationship.


End file.
